BS (Data Science)
Covid brought with it a new, unseen, world, transitioning people from one thing to another. Anupratee Bharadwaj, a BSc holder in Aviation was no exception for her domain had gradually decelerated to a standstill. As someone who loved learning, she kept looking for opportunities to grasp at. Eventually, her family would be the ones to show her the light.With their assistance, she stumbled upon the IIT Madras BS Degree in Data Science and Applications.
Going through the syllabus and recognising the growing importance of data science, she enrolled to build up skills in a completely new domain. Having to give up a career she had been training for was harrowing. Losing out on the chance to receive her Commercial Pilot License was salt on the wound. Rising up from this, however, she put her faith into the Degree from the beginning as this was her shot at something entirely new.
She struggled with Mathematics to start with, but with the quality of pedagogy offered, she soon gained a grasp of it. However, her confidence began to bloom when she took on the Modern Application Development Projects, building them from scratch without relying on AI tools was itself a valuable learning experience. In retrospect, despite having room for tremendous learning, she applied for internships anyway.
And that led her to Software Development, wherein she is working professionally in the field at Gekko, an Amsterdam-based company while also co-founding her own AI Software company, Spirelia, which recently got incubated at IITM’s Research Park. Of course, the divergence from aviation to software was one she was questioned about by relatives, but she did not let herself falter and continued.
The experiences she gathered strengthened her belief that this path is worthwhile in the long run.
Nirmaan, the pre-incubator for student-led startups was her square one, and the connections and friendships she had built from her experience in Paradox paved her path towards establishing herself. NPTEL also played a role in this, wherein she topped the course, “Design Thinking- A Primer”, earning a chance to work under one of the instructors. Here, she met Shradda Gherwal, the founder of a company named SignSetu, where she worked with deaf students and helped solve real-life challenges faced by them. This is where she learnt how to build for the greater good.
As she continues her studies, she would like to keep working professionally and focus on her own startup, finding ways to expand her vision. She also plans to take more courses and gain experience to keep building her skillset and diversify as needed, adapting to the changing needs of the industry.
Having come from a completely different background and having adapted to a new one to the point where she is now establishing her own firm, she emphasizes that the Degree rewards what one is willing to invest in it. Beyond academics, she speaks of the importance of building meaningful connections and putting in sincere effort, both of which have shaped her own journey. She encourages learners to reach out to professors, whose experience and guidance often extend far beyond the classroom, and to seek out seniors not only as mentors but also as collaborators and friends. For Anupratee, learning has always been as much about people as it is about subjects, and the relationships one builds often become the widest horizons of all.
She stands testament that we are who we surround ourselves with.
~written by Krishneal Dutta
